Morocco‘s victory over Belgium on Sunday, followed by Ghana‘s win over South Korea and Cameroon‘s thrilling draw with Serbia, has fuelled hope that Africa’s wait for another classic World Cup team may finally be over.
The five teams currently representing Africa on the grandest stage in Qatar are walking in the footsteps of some illustrious predecessors, but it would take a doctoral thesis to definitively say which African team is the best of all time.
But, here, ESPN assesses the claims of the magnificent generations that could stake a claim to being Africa’s top World Cup team, with the aim of settling a debate that — until a team reaches the semifinals — looks set to continue.
In third place: Ghana 2010
To date the most recent African team to reach the quarterfinals, Ghana were the only African success story of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa — the first and only on African soil.
Despite (again) being drawn into a tough group alongside Germany, Serbia and Australia, a pair of Asamoah Gyan penalties were enough to secure four points and take the Black Stars through.
In the round of 16, Gyan again proved the hero, striking a 93rd-minute extra-time winner against the United States to set up a quarterfinal with a Uruguay team brimming with talent.
